Abstract
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 1254-1262 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Social Science & Medicine |
Volume | 68 |
Issue number | 7 |
Early online date | 21 Feb 2009 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Apr 2009 |
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Keywords
- Russia
- Former Soviet Union
- health lifestyles
- alcohol consumption
- women gender
- gender
Cite this
The specter of post-communism : Women and alcohol in eight post-Soviet states. / Hintoe, Brian ; Cockerham, William ; Abbott, Pamela Ann.
In: Social Science & Medicine, Vol. 68, No. 7, 04.2009, p. 1254-1262.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The specter of post-communism
T2 - Women and alcohol in eight post-Soviet states
AU - Hintoe, Brian
AU - Cockerham, William
AU - Abbott, Pamela Ann
PY - 2009/4
Y1 - 2009/4
N2 - Because men have borne the heaviest burden of premature mortality in the former Soviet Union, women have for the most part been overlooked in studies of the health crisis in this part of the world. A considerable body of research points to alcohol consumption among males as a primary lifestyle cause of premature mortality. However, the extent to which alcohol use has penetrated the female population following the collapse of communism and how this consumption is associated with other social factors is less well-understood. Accordingly, this paper investigates alcohol consumption in eight republics of the former USSR – Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine using data collected in 2001. More specifically, discussion of gender role transformations and the historical experiences of women during the Soviet era emphasize two potentially important social influences examined in this analysis: psychological distress and Soviet political ideology. Findings suggest that distress is only weakly statistically associated with frequent drinking behavior among women, but results for political ideology show that this factor is statistically and significantly associated with drinking behaviors. Alcohol consumption was not particularly common among women under communism, but trends have been changing. Our discussion suggests that, after the collapse of the Soviet state, women are more able to embrace behavioral practices related to alcohol, and many may do so as an overt rejection of traditional Soviet norms and values. Findings are also discussed within the context of current epidemiological trends and future research directions in these eight republics.
AB - Because men have borne the heaviest burden of premature mortality in the former Soviet Union, women have for the most part been overlooked in studies of the health crisis in this part of the world. A considerable body of research points to alcohol consumption among males as a primary lifestyle cause of premature mortality. However, the extent to which alcohol use has penetrated the female population following the collapse of communism and how this consumption is associated with other social factors is less well-understood. Accordingly, this paper investigates alcohol consumption in eight republics of the former USSR – Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine using data collected in 2001. More specifically, discussion of gender role transformations and the historical experiences of women during the Soviet era emphasize two potentially important social influences examined in this analysis: psychological distress and Soviet political ideology. Findings suggest that distress is only weakly statistically associated with frequent drinking behavior among women, but results for political ideology show that this factor is statistically and significantly associated with drinking behaviors. Alcohol consumption was not particularly common among women under communism, but trends have been changing. Our discussion suggests that, after the collapse of the Soviet state, women are more able to embrace behavioral practices related to alcohol, and many may do so as an overt rejection of traditional Soviet norms and values. Findings are also discussed within the context of current epidemiological trends and future research directions in these eight republics.
KW - Russia
KW - Former Soviet Union
KW - health lifestyles
KW - alcohol consumption
KW - women gender
KW - gender
U2 - 10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.01.019
DO - 10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.01.019
M3 - Article
VL - 68
SP - 1254
EP - 1262
JO - Social Science & Medicine
JF - Social Science & Medicine
SN - 0277-9536
IS - 7
ER -